Outcry over Government of Bangladesh Move to Nationalize Grameen Bank
September 28, 2012
Washington, D.C.: On September 18th, the Bangladeshi Parliament passed the “Grameen Bank (Amendment) Bill, 2012” into law despite the boycott by independent lawmaker MP Fazlul Azim. This amendment effectively nationalizes a bank in which the government holds a mere 3% share. With this act, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government have ignored the concerns of civil society and the rights of the women who own the other 97% of Grameen Bank. The adoption of this amendment sets the empowerment of women in the country back decades.
Microfinance Institutions Reaching 3.8 Million Clients in India with Health Protection Services
June 28, 2012
New Delhi, India - On June 28, Freedom from Hunger, the Microcredit Summit Campaign, and the Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar released a new report titled Integrated Health and Microfinance in India: Harnessing the Strengths of Two Sectors to Improve Health and Alleviate Poverty.
The report demonstrates how microfinance can be further leveraged to provide a powerful tool to address one of India's persistent barriers to the economic advancement of the poor: ill health caused by lack of access to health services.
New Alliance to Benefit 3.7 Million of the World’s Poor by Combining Microfinance & Health
January 23, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC (January 23) — The Microcredit Summit Campaign and Freedom from Hunger today announced that they have entered into a strategic alliance to reach more than 700,000 microfinance clients with health education and services over the next five years. The goal of the alliance is to work globally on several levels to create a more enabling environment for integrating microfinance and health.
Closing Day of Plenaries at 2011 Global MCS Focuses on Agriculture, Energy & the “Last Mile”
November 17, 2011
Plenaries at Day Two of MCS Examine Challenges, Opportunities in Microfinance & Social Business
November 16, 2011
Seal of Excellence will help the microfinance sector further its social mission
November 15, 2011
Queen Sofía of Spain and Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus Open Global Microcredit Summit 2011
November 15, 2011
2,000 Poverty Fighters Expected to Join Queen of Spain for Global Microcredit Summit
November 15, 2011
137 Million of World’s Poorest Received a Microloan in 2010
November 10, 2011
VALLADOLID, SPAIN (Nov. 10) — More than 137.5 million of the world’s poorest families received a microloan in 2010—an all-time high, according to a report released today by the Microcredit Summit Campaign. Assuming an average of five persons per family, these 137.5 million microloans affected more than 687 million family members, which is greater than the combined populations of the European Union and Russia. Microloans are used to help people living in poverty in both industrialized and developing countries to expand a range of small businesses, such as selling products in a local market, making clothes, and providing computer and other business services in rural areas.
45 Million Indians Move Above $1.25 A Day
August 16, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC - According to a report released by the Microcredit Summit Campaign, a program of the US-based advocacy group RESULTS Educational Fund, nearly 9 million Indian households involved in microfinance - including approximately 45 million family members, on net - rose above the $1.25 a day threshold between 1990 and 2010. This good news comes during a difficult time for the sector in India and elsewhere. Microfinance institutions offer loans that can start at $50 and other financial services that enable the poor to start or expand small businesses.
Download the Report Summary online:
http://microcreditsummit.org/uploads/files/India_Report_Summary_Sheet_ENG_final.pdf
Download the Report online:
http://www.microcreditsummit.org/uploads/files/India_Report_FINAL.pdf
Record 128 Million of World’s Poorest Received a Micro-Loan in 2009
March 10, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC — More than 128 million of the world’s poorest families received a microloan in 2009—an all-time high, according to a report released today by the Microcredit Summit Campaign. Assuming an average of five persons per family, this means that loans to 128 million poorest clients affected some 641 million family members, which is greater than the combined population of the European Union and Russia.
Click here to download the report online
10 Million Bangladeshis Move Above $1.25 a Day
January 27, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC — Nearly 2 million Bangladeshi households involved in microfinance — including almost 10 million family members, on net — rose above the US$1.25 a day threshold between 1990 and 2008. These figures were released in a report by the Microcredit Summit Campaign today.
Download the report online: http://www.microcreditsummit.org/uploads/files/Bangladesh_Report_FINAL.pdf
More than 100 Million of World’s Poorest Benefit from Microcredit
January 26, 2009
More than 106 million of the world’s poorest families received a microloan in 2007, surpassing a goal set ten years earlier, according to a report released today by the Microcredit Summit Campaign. Microloans are used to help people living in extreme poverty start or expand a range of tiny businesses such as husking rice, selling tortillas, and delivering cell phone services to remote villages.
Microcredit Summit Campaign to Expand Efforts to Document Success of Microfinance
January 09, 2009
A $700,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will fund program to document how microfinance recipients rise above extreme poverty.
Microfinance Leaders See Trouble Ahead for Institutions and Clients
October 24, 2008
For years, microfinance has made quiet but significant headway in helping people pull themselves out of poverty with dignity. The practice of making small loans to the world’s poorest and most marginalized people — often women in developing countries — to start their own small businesses and provide for their families has succeeded in spite of conventional banking wisdom, and benefited millions of families worldwide.
